Based on the responses of the event’s participants, big data seems to pick up where market research leaves off, and vice versa. One speaker, Justin Sampson, chief executive of Barb, noted that big data fails to understand the context, and the social nature, of life. Market research can fill that void.
Have you ever bought something because all of your friends had it? While we may be loath to admit it, our actions are swayed by friends, groups, and the public. Perhaps even more so than what we realize. Because of this reality, the authors of “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” argue that market researchers need to go beyond the individual to truly understand consumer behaviors. The authors state that two particular theories should be used more in research to explore the dynamics of influence.
When it comes to market research projects, how big is too big?
Article Synopsis: Think about eBay, Amazon, and Angie’s List—all public, continuous sources of ratings. Moran cites a survey conducted by FTI Consulting which found that over 50% of respondents give a “great deal of consideration to online reviews from other consumers on sites…”
On a survey, do you check “yes” the same amount as someone in India? Probably not! Cultural differences in multi-country surveys yield inaccurate results. Propensity to agree, untruthfulness, and survey “speeders” vary from country to country.
Consider these two questions: Can market research departments be profit centers (either by “selling” internally or externally)? Should market research departments be profit centers? I first wrote about this controversial… Continue reading Market Research as a Profit Center? It May be Closer than You Think
7 times when market researchers need to stop. Knowing when to stop is a discipline. But after 25 years in the market research business, I know that some of my best work has been when I stopped doing something—even if just temporarily.
Market research studies often capture and measure attitudes and behaviors, as if they could all be sorted into neat packages. We carefully structure our questions, and in the case of survey research, even our answers. We use quotas, we use weighting. But are we creating the functional equivalent of genetically modified food?
For me, as a market researcher, I found the book both inspirational and practical. Its many examples lend credibility to its conclusions, and I have found myself referring to the cited experiments on many occasions. My copy’s pages are dog-eared and covered in notes. If you haven’t had a chance to read it yet, here are some reviews, as summarized by Research Rockstar intern Audra Kohler.
Research Rockstar is thrilled to announce that Jeffrey Henning, president of Researchscape, will be a “camp counselor” at this summer’s Camp Rockstar for market researchers. He joins Kathryn Korostoff…
